Friday, May 19, 2006

I had to delete a previous post, from May 17, due to an "oops" on my part. Most of it is re-posted below, with some editing to remove the photo, and certain other details. ;) Thanks to the ladies who commented on that item. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and I think it will be enjoyed by the recipient.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented on Castle Sampler. It means a lot to be able to share my work with other stitchers. Sure, BF oohs and ahhs appropriately, which is wonderful, but it takes another stitcher to fully understand the hours and work that go into those large projects.

I haven't yet picked up another big project to work on, even though I have several already started. Instead, I've been focusing on smaller stuff for the last several days.

Those of you who stopped by between May 17 - 20 know what I was working on, and finished. Everyone else is going to have to wonder a bit longer. The object in question is a gift for a friend, who I didn't think was online. But I got an email from her this afternoon. Now, I don't think she has ever visited this blog, but I'm not taking any chances.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Lately, it seems that many stitching bloggers have experienced a lossof their stitching mojo. Have you ever lost your stitching mojo? Ifso, how did you get it back and how long did it take?

My stitching mojo has been okay recently, but I have lost it in the past. How I've gotten it back depended on the cause, and the depth of mojo loss. If it's something that has happened because of life events, I simply wait it out. For more generalized cases, I do the following:

- Check out blogs. There's lots of inspiration out there.- Browse an online shop. Also inspirational.- Fondle my fabric stash.- If none of that works... go stash shopping!- Start something new. Nothing's more exciting than a piece of virgin fabric, waiting for that first stitch.- Finish something old. I think most of us have some nearly finished projects that got put aside for one reason or another, and a Happy Dance is one of the very best motivators.- Assemble a FUFO. Sometimes this is a nice alternative to stitching.

And ALWAYS, above all else-- stitch every day!! Even if I don't feel like stitching, I always put just a few stitches into one of my projects. It may not be much, but it's that many stitches closer to a completed project, and it keeps me in the stitching habit.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

First, the ornament UFO that I finished last weekend. This is Reindeer Garden, by Threads Through Time.

I had hoped that I would have finished Castle Sampler by now, but it still isn't done. I was a bit tired of working on it this week, so on Thursday I started Drawn Thread's Little Blackwork. I'm stitching this one on a Silkweaver Solo using medium-dark blue silk thread. This made a nice break and I was back to stitching Castle Sampler again on Saturday. I'm extremely close to a finish on that one. So close, in fact, that I've decided not to take another update photo until the grand Happy Dance.

Friday, May 05, 2006

I feel like I've gotten way behind in my blogging. Things have been pretty hectic lately, starting with our trip to the country. There were piles of things to do out there, and we decided to stay until Tuesday afternoon. We did lots of yardwork, followed by dealing with some administrative stuff to get the truck legal once again. I simply needed to get a county sticker and have the thing inspected, but of course the county offices are not open on weekends, and that is normally the only time we're out there. That's one of the difficulties in having a second residence-- tending to certain things often requires days off of work. I don't know about the rest of you, but there are other ways that I'd rather spend my "vacation" time. ;)

I'm still trying to decide whether or not to hire a service to take care of the lawn. Part of me thinks that would be the sensible thing to do, but the other part of me (and the one that's ruling right now) actually enjoys puttering around in my own yard. Even so, I'm not sure it's something that we'll be able to stay on top of on our own. BF is a doll and always pitches in on whatever needs to be done, but it's a 1-acre yard with lots of trees and stuff to mow around. Besides the grass, the assorted flower beds and other landscaping also need attention. We managed to get quite a bit done, but there is still a lot awaiting us on our next trip out there.

I literally attacked the rose bushes last weekend. I don't know the first thing about roses, but I figured that something had to be done with them, even if it was the wrong thing. They were my dad's babies, and they have been sorely neglected since his illness and passing. If I had any sense, I'd get rid of the largest bed of them in the back yard. It would be one less thing to mow around. But I have a sentimental streak and really hate to see them let go. So I weeded the beds, pruned the bushes way back, dug up the soil, then fed & watered them. Now I'll just wait and hope for the best. With any luck, I'll have some pretty blooms this summer.

Stitching? What's that???

Okay, so I did manage a few stitches here and there in between weeding, mowing, and running errands. I had hoped to finish Castle Sampler by now, but I simply haven't had the time, or the energy. I did manage to finish the last bits of over-one stitching this past weekend. I guess that counts for something. I still have to do the bits of pink in the border, but that's all over-two and should go fairly quickly. I haven't started on that bit yet, as I was tired of working on the border. I switched to the three motifs in the lower right corner. Not much left now, and it looks like a Happy Dance may happen in the very near future. Stay tuned.

I also had a small happy dance over the weekend-- I finished the ornament UFO that I recently unearthed in an old JCS magazine. It turned out quite nicely, if I do say so myself. :)

Meanwhile, I am still waiting for my Persian Iris Garden kit to arrive from European Cross Stitch. It seems that there has been a delay with some of the threads. >:( The first pattern installment was released while I was out of town. I printed everything off and looked over the pattern as soon as we got home on Tuesday. The first installment isn't too large, but there is a lot of beading and quite a bit of metallic braid. I hope the kit arrives soon-- I'm getting really impatient to start this!!!

Well, I've certainly rambled. Sorry for the lack of pictures. I have some updates, but haven't had a chance to take pics and upload them just yet. I'll be doing that over the weekend.